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English Premier League News and Updates

Fulham 2 – 1 Southampton

Southampton remained rooted to the foot of the table after a late winner by Fulham’s Joao Palhinha condemned the visitors to a fifth straight Premier League defeat.

James Ward-Prowse’s superb second-half free-kick, which cancelled out his earlier own-goal, seemed set to secure his side a much-needed point.

But a clever flick-on from Kenny Tete set up Palhinha’s 88th-minute header.

Aleksandar Mitrovic missed an injury-time penalty and the chance to add gloss to the scoreline.

Fulham are up to seventh on the back of their fourth win in seven games.

The hosts paid tribute to one of their own before kick-off.

Manager Marco Silva, one of his mostly fondly-remembered predecessors Roy Hodgson and George Cohen’s son Anthony laid wreathes around the centre circle in memory of the 1966 World Cup winner, who died at the age of 83 on 23 December.

Cohen was born in Fulham and swept the Craven Cottage stands as part of the ground staff before embarking on a 459-game one-club career with the Whites. A minute’s applause ended with the home fans chanting the former full-back’s name.

Once underway, Southampton had the clearest early chance when Che Adams darted behind the hosts’ high line, but goalkeeper Bernd Leno did well to repel his effort.

Mohamed Elyounoussi skimmed a shot narrowly over the crossbar, but Fulham gradually asserted themselves in midfield, with Palhinha to the fore, and was rewarded on 32 minutes.

Willian clipped a corner to the edge of the penalty area, which Andreas Pereira met with his instep. The volley was well-struck but seemed to be heading off target until Ward-Prowse’s instinctive attempt to block instead ensured it ended up in the back of the net.

Pereira stabbed a shot wide after the break as Fulham started the second half brightly.

But Ward-Prowse, who is second only to David Beckham in Premier League free-kick goals, gives Saints a threat that few other sides can offer at set-pieces.

The 28-year-old captain whipped a superb swirling free-kick around the wall and beyond Leno’s dive to cancel out his own goal and level the contest.

It seemed the scores would remain equal before the contest sprung back into life in the final few minutes.

Tom Cairney and Willian almost combined to set up Pereira at one end before Southampton substitute Romain Perraud threatened at the other.

The hosts went ahead again when another well-worked set-piece isolated Palhinha, who stands 6ft 3in tall, against a clutch of smaller defenders.

Mitrovic, who has 10 goals in his previous 13 Premier League games, had a chance to add to his prolific season after a foul on Dan James. But his penalty, well saved by Gavin Bazunu, ended an uncharacteristically quiet afternoon for the Serbian striker.

Southampton’s next game is against Nottingham Forest, one place above them in the table, at home on Wednesday.

Manager Nathan Jones, who took over from sacked Ralph Hasenhuttl in November, said his players need to be sharper tactically and mentally to avoid their efforts being undermined by more bad defending.

“We didn’t do the basics well on two occasions and that is what let us down,” he said. “They have to be ironed out on the training ground and in peoples’ heads.

“The overall performance was good today – we negated a fluent team – but we have to be better in those moments. We are gifting teams goals, they don’t have to do much to score, and that has to change.”

31/12/2022
Bournemouth 0 – 2 Crystal Palace

Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil described Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat by Crystal Palace as “the worst I’ve seen” since he took over in late August.

O’Neil, confirmed as head coach during the World Cup after impressing as caretaker, said: “That’s the first time since I’ve taken charge that we fell well below the standards that we’ve set, and the standards that we need.

“I was really disappointed with nearly all aspects of the day. We looked so flat, and there were so many errors with the ball.”

Opposite number Patrick Vieira felt a sense of “relief” as Palace recovered from back-to-back Premier League defeats to finish 2022 on a high.

“People had doubts about us but I know my players well and how well they can play,” said the Frenchman.

“It’s important to trust the players we have, when you have a young group of players, there will be some ups and downs.

“Everybody needs to control their emotion and manage our expectations.”

Palace had not registered a shot on target in their previous two games, but there was no subtlety about either goal, with both created by Michael Olise’s pinpoint delivery from corners.

The opener came when Jordan Ayew was left virtually unmarked at the near post from Olise’s left-wing delivery, leaving him the easy task of planting a downward header across goal and into the net.

The Eagles doubled their lead when Olise’s delivery from the opposite side was driven perfectly into the path of Eberechi Eze, who had space on the edge of the area to blast the ball past Mark Travers.

With much of the game played in driving rain, Bournemouth struggled to find any fluency and created few clear-cut opportunities, although Dominic Solanke stung the palms of visiting goalkeeper Vicente Guaita after the break.

Vieira described Boxing Day’s defeat at “one of the worst days” since he arrived as Palace manager.

Forced into two changes after seeing two of his defenders sent off during the 3-0 home loss against Fulham, he resisted any temptation to make more alterations despite failing to score in five of their last six away games, and was rewarded with a no-nonsense display.

Marc Guehi, back from a suspension of his own, marshalled the retooled Eagles defence well against the aerial threat of Kieffer Moore and the guile of Solanke.

The defence and midfield were quick to pounce on second balls, while their front runners always posed a threat on the break.

“Michael Olise is a young player, sometimes he will make mistakes and miss something, but I don’t have any doubt about putting him in the starting XI,” added Vieira.

“Today he was disciplined, and he has grown as a player.”

Even after Vieira had substituted both goalscorers in the 74th minute, a third Palace goal looked more likely than a reply from the hosts as the Eagles closed out their first league win outside London since April.

New owner Bill Foley and minority owner Michael B Jordan were introduced to the Bournemouth crowd before the game, with a touch of Las Vegas glitz added to the pre-match atmosphere as half a dozen pitchside flamethrowers, more usually seen around the boundary in Twenty20 cricket, greeted the players’ arrival on to the pitch.

When Foley travelled to Dorset in October to sign the takeover paperwork, he watched O’Neil’s side come from behind to beat Leicester 2-1, but a Hollywood-style comeback looked very unlikely after the second goal left Palace in full charge.

And a year which featured the highs of promotion to the top flight, and the lows including a 9-0 thumping at Liverpool, concluded with something of a damp squib.

The afternoon was summed up when substitute Siriki Dembele curled a tame late effort straight into the arms of Guaita, to be greeted with the home fans ironically chanting “We’ve had a shot”.

Foley has already announced some bold plans for the Cherries’ future, but back in the present, a fresh injection of signings in January may be the top item in his in-tray.

“There are no excuses, and I take full responsibility,” added O’Neil.

“The Premier League is ruthless, if you’re going to perform like that and not do your job from set plays, it’s going to be a long afternoon.

“We’ve achieved a decent points tally with the group of players we’ve got, but as with the other 19 teams in the league we’ll be looking to improve [the squad] in January.”

source – BBC Sport

31/12/2022
Wolves 0- 1 Manchester United

Marcus Rashford turned from villain to hero as he came off the bench to score the only goal against Wolves and move Manchester United into the Premier League top four.

Manager Erik ten Hag left Rashford out of his starting line-up for “internal disciplinary” reasons.

But after a disappointing opening period, in which Rashford’s replacement Alejandro Garnacho wasted the visitors’ best chance when his shot was saved by Jose Sa, the England man scored 14 minutes from time.

Rashford picked the ball up outside the Wolves area, then, after exchanging passes with Bruno Fernandes, held off three defenders before driving home his 11th goal of the season in all competitions.

It was the first time he had scored in three successive games for United since December 2019.

The result ended Julen Lopetegui’s two-match winning start as Wolves manager and kept them in the relegation zone.

However, they came so close to snatching a point in stoppage time when Raul Jimenez’s goal-bound header was turned away at point-blank range by David de Gea.

The availability of loan signing Matheus Cunha for Wednesday’s West Midlands derby at Aston Villa cannot come soon enough for a side that struggles so badly to turn impressive approach play into goals.

Lopetegui said: “The way they fought a big team like Man Utd, in the end, I thought we deserved more.”

Ten Hag proved with his treatment of Cristiano Ronaldo that reputation would not get in the way of reinforcing team discipline.

Evidently, Rashford’s indiscretion was not on a serious scale as he was named on the bench, but, given Garnacho, was stopped from playing during the club’s pre-season tour because of persistent lateness, Ten Hag would view his actions as confirmation the same rules apply to all players, no matter what their status.

As it turned out, Garnacho produced a decent first-half display but, with United failing to make the most of limited opportunities, Rashford replaced the 18-year-old at half-time.

Ten Hag has made it clear he wants striking reinforcements this month. In their absence, Rashford remains United’s most potent goal threat.

The determination he showed to drive through so many defenders and score his latest effort indicates a hunger that was absent for much of last season.

Rashford thought he had a second near the end but his close-range effort was ruled out for handball after Sa saved his initial shot.

The win moved Manchester United into the top four at full-time, the first time they have been in the Champions League qualification places this season.

Ten Hag said: “We made a good step today – the first time we are in the top four but it means nothing.

“We have to win every game. We want to try and win something. It depends on hard work from everyone.”

In his first league home game in charge of the Wolves, Lopetegui was a demonstrative presence on the edge of his technical area.

If not quite as manic as Tottenham manager Antonio Conte, the former Sevilla boss was open with his feelings.

That included demanding a yellow card for Casemiro when he blocked Ruben Neves off during the first half, then letting the fourth official know it should have been two as referee Rob Jones finally a yellow card to the Brazilian when he fouled Daniel Podence.

Once he calms down from such injustices, Lopetegui will know – as he always has – the answer to Wolves’ problems comes through finding the net.

Lopetegui said: “We have to improve. I believe in my players. But it is not about one or two players. It is a team task. If we have more chances, we may score more.”

Diego Costa worked hard for little reward before the break and, until Jimenez was introduced once the Spaniard was replaced, there was no focal point for the Wolves midfield to play to.

Neves almost pulled one of his wonder strikes out of his repertoire to put the hosts in front, but De Gea was equal to that, just as he was when Jimenez’s stoppage-time effort was heading into the net.

source – BBC Sport

31/12/2022
Liverpool 2 – 1 Leicester City

Wout Faes scored two own goals as Liverpool came from behind to beat Leicester in their final Premier League game of 2022.

The Foxes made the ideal start when they took the lead after just four minutes as poor defending by the hosts allowed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to race through on goal before firing past Alisson.

Both sides had opportunities to score after that in an open and entertaining first half but Liverpool’s equaliser came in hugely fortuitous circumstances.

With seven minutes to go the break, Faes stuck out a boot to try and divert Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross behind but instead the ball looped over goalkeeper Danny Ward and into the back of the net.

It got worse for Faes and Leicester seconds before the break when the defender again managed to put the ball into the back of his own net, this time firing in after Darwin Nunez’s chipped shot had bounced back off the post.

It was the tonic Liverpool needed and they really should have put the game out of Leicester’s reach in the second half, with Mohamed Salah putting a decent chance wide of the post with only Ward to beat while Nunez – not for the first time in recent games – failed to make the most of a couple of decent opportunities.

In the end, Faes’ two own goals were enough to give Liverpool the victory that moves them to within two points of the top four.

Defeat for Leicester, meanwhile, means they remain 13th and four points above the relegation zone.

It was a night to forget for Faes but one that was also so uncharacteristic, with the Belgian defender has been a huge player for the Foxes since joining on transfer deadline day back in September.

He has been a key factor in Leicester’s rise off the bottom of the table and away from the relegation zone but it felt like everything that could go wrong for him did so here.

Faes arguably could have done better for the first goal. Had he left it, then goalkeeper Ward – who clearly shouted for him to do so – had a straightforward gather at his near post, but instead, Faes made the most awkward of connections to send the ball looping over the Wales international.

The second goal, however, was just plain unfortunate as Faes’ momentum as he rushed to get back and clear off the line meant he could do little when the ball from Nunez’s shot bounced back off the post and into his path.

Faes becomes just the fourth player to score two own goals in a single Premier League game, after Jamie Carragher (1999, Liverpool vs Manchester United), Michael Proctor (2003, Sunderland vs Charlton) and Jonathan Walters (2013, Stoke vs Chelsea).

source – BBC

30/12/2022
West Ham United 0 – 2 Brentford

West Ham suffered their fifth consecutive Premier League defeat after being well beaten at home by Brentford.

Ivan Toney put the visitors ahead with his 12th league goal of the season before Josh DaSilva doubled the lead.

The Hammers were booed by a frustrated London Stadium crowd, with this defeat keeping them only one point above the relegation zone.

The game also ended on a sour note for Brentford, as Toney was taken off on a stretcher with a knee injury.

The victory sees the Bees rise to ninth in the Premier League.

Not since a run between March and April 2017, under the management of Slaven Bilic, have West Ham lost five consecutive games in the league.

Five-and-a-half years later, West Ham has enjoyed many highs under the management of David Moyes – however, this defeat puts the Scotsman’s role under serious question.

It is not just the fact of another defeat, but the manner in which the goals were conceded.

Both first-half goals came from West Ham failing to properly defend throw-ins, and both came after periods in the game when they had enjoyed good attacking spells.

The opener arrived in the 18th minute, where a straightforward long throw by Mathias Jensen was flicked on by Mathias Jorgensen. Christian Norgaard hit his swivelling volley well, and after it was saved by Lukasz Fabianski, Toney reacted first to follow up and stab home.

The second, shortly before half-time, was even worse from a West Ham perspective. Toney played a simple lobbed ball over the top of the sleeping home defence from a throw-in near the halfway line.

Da Silva outmuscled and outpaced Aaron Cresswell to streak through and slot past Fabianski for his first goal since August.

These teams will meet again in the FA Cup third round on 7 January. Whether Moyes remains in post for that fixture remains to be seen.

In complete contrast to West Ham, Brentford has set a new club Premier League record of five consecutive games unbeaten. The Bees have not had a longer top-flight unbeaten run since they went six games without defeat between February and March 1939.

Things could have been different had West Ham taken their chances – notably when Declan Rice struck the post early on and when Emerson Palmieri stung the gloves of David Raya with a near-post drive.

However, Brentford saw out the second half in relative comfort. This result, combined with the 2-2 draw against Tottenham on Boxing Day, will leave Thomas Frank satisfied with how his side has returned to action following the World Cup.

One question which remains however is what Brentford will do should a long-term injury rule out Toney.

This is the stark reality they could face after the forward, tipped by many for a place in England’s 2022 World Cup squad, jarred his knee in the turf after an innocuous challenge for a late corner.

Toney was left banging the turf, his face screwed up in clear pain, before being carried from the field on a stretcher.

“Of course, it didn’t look great, but I’ve also been in this game long enough to know that you never know exactly what it is until it’s been assessed over the following days,” Frank said.

“Hopefully it’s a minor injury, a minor thing, there’s a good chance for that, but of course it could be worse. We don’t know yet.”

Even if the injury is not as bad as it first appears, Toney also faces being banned if FA charges of breaching betting rules are proven. He has until January 4 to respond regarding the 262 alleged breaches.

On the field, Toney remains one of the Premier League’s deadliest strikers. He scored his 12th league goal of the season here, the same as his 2021-22 total, and he ends the calendar year of 2022 with 20 Premier League goals – only Harry Kane, with 26, has scored more.

Toney celebrated his strike by baiting the London Stadium crowd, crossing his arms in a symbol closely associated with the Hammers.

It demonstrates Brentford’s dominance over West Ham in this fixture – they have won all three Premier League meetings.

source – BBC

30/12/2022
Manchester United 3 – 0 Nottingham Forest

Marcus Rashford scored one and created another as Manchester United overcame illness issues to beat Nottingham Forest and move to within a point of the top four.

Rashford converted a superb opener after 19 minutes when he was picked out by Christian Eriksen in a pre-planned corner routine, allowing the striker to exploit Forest’s failure to track his run by sweeping a first-time shot past Wayne Hennessey.

England forward turned provider three minutes later, cutting in from the left wing and rolling a pass to Antony Martial, whose low finish from the edge of the area found the net after Hennessey failed to hold.

Forest’s keeper denied Antony, Martial and Rashford before substitute Fred profited from an excellent through ball from fellow Brazilian Casemiro to find the bottom corner three minutes from time.

Forest never recovered from that first-half double blow, although they did have a goal ruled out by VAR just before the break.

Steve Cooper’s men have not scored a league goal away from the City Ground since 20 August and remain the second bottom.

For United, it completed a fourth successive victory in all competitions. It underlined the theory that the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo will not have a negative effect on the remainder of the season.

There has been a lot of talk of strikers at United since Ronaldo’s contract was terminated last month.

PSV Eindhoven’s Cody Gakpo was certainly on their radar before he agreed on a move to Liverpool, even if the likely transfer fee would have priced him out of a move to Old Trafford, given the significant spending last summer that manager Erik ten Hag demanded.

Unless the situation changes, the best Ten Hag can hope for is a loan signing.

However, on nights like this, it is not obvious that he actually needs reinforcements.

Injuries have limited Martial’s involvement this season but the Frenchman now has five goals to his name and is effective in the number nine role, even if he prefers to attack from more comprehensive positions.

And Ten Hag said that before the game, 25-year-old Rashford could score 20 league goals.

Had to substitute Alejandro Garnacho picked out the England man with a cut-back deep into the second half, Rashford would have doubled his tally for the night, which, as it is, takes him into double figures for the season in all competitions.

With Garnacho and Anthony Elanga making decent contributions off the bench, Ten Hag will need to look hard to find someone who is both good enough and within the club’s budget.

VAR denies Forest a rare away goal
At the start of the month, former World Cup final referee Howard Webb took over the running of elite officials in England.

He has vowed to speed up the VAR process and try to iron out some of the issues still being experienced with it within the English game.

Last week, Webb said incidents that involved multiple issues would always cause a problem and Forest was on the wrong end of one just before the break that took three minutes for Andy Madley and his colleagues at Stockley Park to solve.

Ryan Yates appeared to have headed in at the far post. However, there was a potential handball which needed to be checked. Once those replays had been studied, it became apparent Willy Boly had actually diverted the ball home.

As it turned out, Yates didn’t handle it. But Boly was offside and what would have been Forest’s first Premier League away goal since Brennan Johnson scored in a 1-1 draw at Everton was ruled out.

source – BBC Sport

28/12/2022
Chelsea 2 – 0 Bournemouth

Chelsea boosted their top-four hopes as they resumed their Premier League season with a comfortable victory over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.

Having failed to score in three consecutive matches prior to the break for the World Cup it took Chelsea less than 16 minutes to get up and running with Kai Havertz sliding in an effort at the back post from Raheem Sterling’s low cross.

With the hosts dominant, Mason Mount celebrated his 150th appearance for Chelsea in style, curling a superb effort into the bottom right corner of the Bournemouth net from the edge of the penalty area.

It drew a nod of satisfaction from manager Graham Potter, who will have been delighted by the slick performance his side delivered, particularly during the first half.

Christian Pulisic saw an effort ruled out after Havertz was judged to have fouled Adam Smith, while the German also spurned a second-half opportunity to extend Chelsea’s lead.

The result sees Chelsea move up to eighth in the table, six points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham with Bournemouth remaining in 14th.

The only negative in Potter’s and Chelsea’s evening came with the earlier-than-planned withdrawal of Reece James, seven minutes into the second period, on his return from the knee injury that ruled him out of the England squad for Qatar.

The 23-year-old lay on the turf with his hands on his head before receiving treatment and eventually walking off unaided.

While the Cherries improved after the break, and substitute Ryan Christie forced home goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga into a good save, they rarely looked capable of applying any late pressure to the hosts.

Chelsea had come into the contest with question marks over their direction of travel under Potter after a damaging sequence of three consecutive top-flight defeats prior to the World Cup.

However, they appeared galvanised and looked as though the opportunity to reset had worked in their favour.

There was a notable fluency to their play, particularly via the combinations that Sterling, James, Mount and Italian playmaker Jorginho provided, while Havertz and Pulisic worked tirelessly up front to offer an outlet.

And until he was forced off, everything that right-back James produced oozed class.

His marauding runs down the right gave Chelsea an added dimension in attack, with only a good save from visiting goalkeeper Mark Travers denying him a goal just before the break.

Dominic Solanke’s driving run and an early Philip Billing free-kick suggested Bournemouth felt capable of taking the game to Chelsea on their own patch.

However, while Gary O’Neil will take positives from the way his team prevented the scoreline from going away from them further in the second period, he will be disappointed by their passive first 45 minutes.

In that period they conceded their 33rd and 34th goals of the campaign, with 26 of those now coming away from home.

Chelsea’s opener came from a series of straight passes down the right, with Havertz unchallenged as he opened the scoring, while Mount was given time and space to take aim as four Bournemouth players backed off.

source – BBC Sport

27/12/2022
Arsenal 3 – 1 West Ham United

Arsenal 3 – 1 West Ham United. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says club great Arsene Wenger “picked the right moment” to go back to Emirates Stadium as he saw them underline their title credentials.

Arteta’s young team produced a second-half fightback to beat West Ham and move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League, which was resuming after the World Cup.

Wenger, who was the last Arsenal manager to win the title, made his first return since stepping down in 2018.

“His presence is something that has to be very, very attached to this football club so thanks [to him] for doing that because it means a lot for everybody at the club,” said Arteta.

“Hopefully he is willing to spend more time with us and be around us because he is such an influence.”

West Ham took the lead against the run of play when Jarrod Bowen was judged to have been clipped in the box by William Saliba, allowing Said Benrahma to smash a confident penalty down the middle.

There was a mood of frustration among the home fans until Bukayo Saka converted from close range after collecting Martin Odegaard’s mis-hit shot.

The equaliser gave added impetus to the Gunners and another home goal looked increasingly likely.

Five minutes later, it duly arrived. Gabriel Martinelli put the hosts ahead, catching out West Ham’s former Gunners keeper Lukasz Fabianski by tucking inside the near post from a tight angle when he seemed more likely to cross.

The points were sealed when Eddie Nketiah – starting in place of the injured Gabriel Jesus – spun sharply in the box before firing into the opposite bottom corner.

Arsenal extended their lead at the top over Newcastle, who moved second by beating Leicester earlier on Monday.

Reigning champions Manchester City – who go to Leeds United on Wednesday – are now eight points behind the Gunners.

West Ham are 16th and just a point above the relegation zone after their fourth league defeat in a row.

Arsenal fans are starting to believe Arteta’s side can genuinely maintain their push for the club’s first title since Wenger’s Invincibles in 2004.

And as Wenger watched and heard his name lovingly sang by the home crowd, Arteta’s young team added further encouragement to those dreaming of a long-awaited triumph.

“It is a really special day because Boxing Day is a beautiful day to play football and I thought the performance was at the level today that we deserve,” said Arteta.

“Hopefully he [Wenger] will like it.”

The match came on the third anniversary of Arteta’s first game as Arsenal manager, and significant progress has been made since then.

When the former Gunners midfielder took over, they were closer to the relegation zone than the top four.

Their current position – and mood around the club – is a measure of how they have come.

The Spaniard has built a new team in the past three years which bears little resemblance – in style and substance – to the one picked for his first game at Bournemouth in 2019.

Arteta will not be getting carried after this win over West Ham, especially with several significant fixtures – not least against Manchester City on 15 February – on the horizon.

But the Gunners sent a message with a clinical second-half performance and the omens are also in their favour.

The team who topped the Premier League table on Christmas Day have gone on to be champions in 10 of the past 13 seasons.

One of the key questions as the Premier League returned was how the Gunners would cope without key striker Jesus.

The Brazil international had knee surgery after being injured in Qatar and is expected to be out until late February, fuelling talk the Gunners might need to sign some cover.

But against West Ham, a first Premier League start of the season was handed to Nketiah – and the 23-year-old delivered.

After stretching the Hammers defence and creating space with his sharp movement, he capped an impressive all-round performance with a fierce finish and staked his claim to be Jesus’ replacement.

“Gabby will be a big miss but we all believe in Eddie,” Saka told Amazon Prime. “That’s all he needs, us to keep supporting him and we will keep encouraging him.

“Everyone in the team is chipping in [with goals] and everyone will be important.”

In contrast to the leaders, West Ham are struggling in front of goal.

They have been better than their league position suggests, according to their expected goals statistics, with converting chances being their main problem.

Few opportunities came against Arsenal, although the game might have panned out differently had Michail Antonio not been denied by Aaron Ramsdale shortly after the restart at 1-0.

Hammers manager David Moyes said before the match he has not been feeling pressure because of results, instead urging for perspective and togetherness across the club.

But a fourth straight league defeat leaves West Ham as one of the cluster of teams packed tightly together in the bottom half.

“I don’t think we’re in a relegation fight. Every team has a blip when it isn’t plain sailing and results don’t go your way,” said midfielder Declan Rice.

“It’s down to me as captain to keep everyone going and pushing. We still believe we are a top team. But we need to start showing that. It’s down to us.”

source – BBC Sport

26/12/2022
Aston Villa 1 – 3 Liverpool

Liverpool made a winning return to Premier League action as they restarted their bid to force their way into the top four with an entertaining victory over Aston Villa.

Goals from Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and teenager Stefan Bajcetic ensured the Reds recorded a third successive league win for the first time this season and reduced the gap to the Champions League places to five points.

While Liverpool’s first fixture after the World Cup break resulted in a Carabao Cup fourth-round defeat by Manchester City on Thursday, Salah’s fifth-minute opener – created by a couple of sublime passes from full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson – gave them the perfect start on their league return.

Darwin Nunez’s wastefulness prevented the visitors from extending their lead but they were able to add a second before half-time when Van Dijk’s shot deflected in off Ezri Konsa following a corner.

Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey had both squandered a couple of fine opportunities for Villa in an exciting first half but Unai Emery’s side were rewarded for their persistence after the restart when Watkins headed in Douglas Luiz’s cross.

However, Spanish 18-year-old Bajcetic’s first senior goal two minutes after coming on as a substitute, which followed great work by Nunez to sprint for a ball over the top, ended home hopes of a dramatic fightback at Villa Park.

While Jurgen Klopp said he was pleased that his sixth-placed side would resume their campaign “within punching distance” of the Premier League’s top four, he added prior to kick-off that he felt it was a “long arm still” following their early season struggles.

But, with a game in hand on fourth-placed Tottenham, the Liverpool boss must now feel confident of attaining their target in the second half of the campaign.

The Reds’ cause had received an early boost when Spurs drew with Brentford earlier in the day and their first-half double put them in position to take full advantage.

Robertson’s crucial role in the opener – setting up Salah with a first-time ball across the six-yard box after Alexander-Arnold’s stunning outside-of-the-foot pass – saw him overtake Leighton Baines as the defender with the most assists in the competition’s history (54).

Despite appearing comfortable at half-time it was certainly not job done for Liverpool against determined opposition and they were relieved to add a late third after withstanding spells of intense Villa pressure following Watkins’ lifeline.

Klopp’s side dropped 20 points from their opening 14 fixtures – two shy of the total number of points they let slip in the whole of the last campaign – but there are now signs of momentum for last season’s runners-up.

There may not have been a goal for Nunez to celebrate at Villa Park but the Uruguayan demonstrated flashes of the promise that convinced Liverpool to pay big money to sign him from Benfica in the summer.

There is certainly no doubt that he should have added to his tally of nine goals in 20 games for the club here – and on another occasion, such misses could prove costly.

The tenacious 23-year-old ended the match with the highest expected goals value of any player (1.15 xG) after landing four of his six shots on target – five of which were taken inside the penalty area.

But his 12 touches inside the opposition box – also a match-leading figure – hinted at his broader influence and his unpredictable movements caused huge issues for the Villa defence throughout.

Perhaps the clearest demonstration of his importance arrived in the build-up to Liverpool’s third.

With the match inside the final 10 minutes, Nunez refused to give up the chase and cut the ball back from the byeline to allow substitute Bajcetic to all but seal the three points and avoid a potentially awkward finish.

Despite defeat, there remains much for Aston Villa supporters to be optimistic about with the Emery era only just beginning.

The four-time Europa League winner was bidding to become the first Villa manager to win each of his first three league games in the club’s history and he will believe his side’s positive approach deserved more.

Watkins had already been denied by Alisson prior to Liverpool’s first and later passed up an opportunity from John McGinn’s back-post cross, while twice an off-balance Bailey failed to connect with the ball when well-placed.

This was another positive showing and they remain five points clear of the relegation positions following encouraging pre-World Cup victories over Manchester United and Brighton.

source – BBC

26/12/2022
Everton 1 – 2 Wolves

Rayan Ait-Nouri scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner as Wolves came from behind to win at fellow strugglers Everton and move off the bottom of the Premier League.

In manager Julen Lopetegui’s first league match in charge of the club, Wolves had fallen behind early when Yerry Mina glanced Dwight McNeil’s near-post corner into the net.

However, they levelled midway through the first period from a well-worked corner routine with Daniel Podence calmly sliding the ball past home goalkeeper Jordan Pickford from Joao Moutinho’s lobbed pass to the back post.

It was no more than the visitors deserved in an entertaining encounter but one in which the attacking shortcomings of both sides came into focus.

Idrissa Gueye’s incisive pass to Anthony Gordon should have allowed the hosts to regain the lead but the Everton winger was superbly denied by Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa, while Neal Maupay twice failed to capitalise from promising positions.

It was far from one-way traffic though, Wolves forward Diego Costa was unable to get enough power on a diving header to beat Pickford, who also repelled Hugo Bueno’s placed effort after the break.

And while Everton saw Ben Godfrey’s late effort hacked to safety by Ruben Neves, Wolves went up the other end in the 95th minute to claim a valuable victory, with Ait-Nouri turning the ball past Pickford from Adama Traore’s cross.

The win took Wolves up to 18th, a place below Everton who has now lost their past four games.

In recent times there has been a distinctly familiar and frustrating feeling among Everton supporters unhappy with a lack of progress on the pitch.

And the sight of a manager under pressure is one that appears to be playing on a loop at Goodison Park, with this defeat met by a chorus of boos.

Frank Lampard’s team have now won just one of their past eight top-flight matches and despite temporarily lifting the gloom by establishing an early advantage they never looked fully in control.

In fact, both prior to and after Mina’s header, it was Wolves that looked the more capable and fluent side in possession.

There was a certain element of inevitability about the way things unfolded, with Everton, who have the second-worst record in front of goal at home in the Premier League, failing to make the most of their chances and then succumbing to a late Wolves counter-attack.

source – BBC Sport

26/12/2022